Betrayal
by Beacchbum
Summary: The sides have been chosen. The decisions have been made. War threatens and there is someone among the FAYZ who is betraying and lying to them all. This person is strong, powerful and may even be able to put an end to Perdido Beach.
1. Chapter 1

My head was throbbing and aching with pain. My eyelids felt heavy and my vision was all a blur. The heat. The heat was excruciating. My skin felt like it was being boiled in a microwave. My forehead was dripping with sweat and I could see the sunburn beginning to form on my arms. My legs felt like heavy steel. They were tender and sore and I knew I couldn't walk much longer. My stomach was the worst of it all. My stomach growled every few minutes and it felt like someone tied a rope around it and pulled as hard they could. I didn't remember the last time I ate. It could have been days, maybe even weeks. We walked up the stone steps to a school called, Coates Academy. The inside looked like there had been a bomb explosive. The walls were falling apart and the ceiling and floor were smashed and some ceiling had caved in. The whole building was dusty and ruined. We walked down a large hallway and entered a dining room.

"Caine," Drake said cheerfully. "Look what I picked up." Drake's whip smacked me on the back and urged me forward. I bit down on my tongue to stop myself from screaming from the pain. The teen named Caine, stared at me. His expression was unreadable. I didn't know whether he was angry or happy, but either way I wasn't thrilled.

"Drake," a girl said from the corner. "You can't just go around kidnapping people off the streets. It's wrong and cruel." The girl had long, dark hair and her face was grim.

"Diana's right," Caine agreed. "I mean, we don't even know anything about her. For all we know, she could be working with Sam."

"I don't think so," Drake disagreed. "I found her wandering through the forest. She looked lost and confused." My hands balled into fists and my heart was pounding heavy against my chest. Caine finally stared me straight in the eyes and his face softened.

"What's your power?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

"Diana, read her." Caine ordered. She sighed and got up and crossed the room. She reached for my hand and carefully placed it in hers. Her hand was ice cold compared to mine that felt like it was gonna fry off. My hand was only in hers for a second before her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly opened.

"Well?" Caine asked. Diana didn't seem to hear him.

"Quit stalling," Drake snapped. Diana finally snapped back to reality and turned toward Caine. She took a deep breath.

"Six," she said quietly. "She's a six bar." Caine froze. He wasn't sure whether he heard right or not.

"S—six?" he stuttered. "A—are you s—sure?" Diana nodded.

"You're a lying, filthy, piece of shit!" Drake roared. His tentacle wrapped around my throat and squeezed my lungs. He threw me up against the fall and I could feel the impact of his body crushing mine. "What can you do? Tell me?" he demanded.

"I wasn't lying," I cried. "I _don't_ know what my power is. I don't know what it's called or what exactly I am doing." He didn't buy it and tightened his grip.

"What can you do?" he repeated.

"Don't get me mad," I whispered.

"I can do whatever the hell I want," he barked.

"I warned you," I said. I lifted my hands slightly up and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, the windows shattered and glass went everywhere. A large gust of wind came in and swirled like a tornado over everything. The tables spun in mid air, paper flew, and everyone, but Drake and I were high in the air. Drake loosened his grip and I squirmed out and ducked. Glass went flying around the whole room and the dining tables flew out of the window. I lowered my hands and everything stopped and came crashing to the ground. It took Drake and Caine a second to register everything that had just happened. Drake finally turned his cold, dark eyes toward me and was about to slash me with his whip when Caine interrupted.

"Knock it off, Drake." he whispered. He sounded lifeless. I looked at his expression and it was mixture of anger and astonishment.

"But—" he began.

"Are you arguing with me? You better not be. Drake, I will send you flying through the wall before you can even touch me with that whip of yours." Caine threatened. Drake frowned and stared at the floor. Diana was too shocked to speak, but Caine just smiled, weary at me.

"Welcome to Coates," he said flatly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Diane will show you where everything is and then you can go and clean yourself up. You look like you haven't eaten in what, days?" Caine asked.

"Weeks," I murmured. Caine showed a look of sympathy, but it disappeared before anyone else could notice. I followed Diana down the hallway and into a bathroom. The bathroom seemed to be the only thing at Coates that wasn't destroyed.

"Everything you need is in here. There are clothes in there as well. You're probably the same size as me." Diana said. She gave a friendly smile and then turned to leave. I took a long, refreshing shower and then brushed my teeth three times with a spare toothbrush. I combed out my long, blonde hair and stared at myself in the mirror. I hadn't realized my hair was so long. It used to be a little past my shoulders, but now it was a little above my hips. I blew dried my hair until it was shiny and all the knots were out. I looked at my face in the mirror and put on make-up and then finally I got dressed. Diana's clothes were just the right size; maybe even a perfect fit. I walked out of the bathroom and realized that it was getting dark. I was walking along the hallway when a voice a mile a way made me jump.

"Hey," a voice called. I turned to see a familiar boy rushing toward me. The boy had dark glasses and blonde hair. He was holding a computer under his arm as he made his way toward me. "I have been looking for you." he puffed out of breath. _Why did he look so familiar? I must have seen him before. Wait a second . . . _

"Weren't you in the dining room early?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm the only one who got hit," he said spreading out his left arm. He had a long line of dried blood up his arm and a deep gash.

"I'm so sorry," I said gently. I felt horrible that I had hurt this kid. He was younger then I, but not by much. Still, he was little to me and looked so innocent, so weak.

"Its fine," he assured me. I frowned. "Really."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Jack. Well, everyone calls me Computer Jack actually." he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm Alex," I said.

"Do you know Sam Temple?" he blurted. It took me a second to register the name. Did he mean the Sam Temple in Perdido Beach? The Sam Temple that I knew when I was younger? That Sam Temple? It had to be. What other Sam Temple was there in California?

"Yeah," I said.

"How do you know him?" he asked curiously.

"Sam and I used to be really good friends when we were little. When I was five, I used to live in Perdido Beach, but then a few years later, we moved and I never saw him again. When I heard Caine say Sam's name I was wondering if that really was you know, the Sam I knew." I began. "It is, isn't it?"

"Yea, that's him." Jack said.

"What did Caine mean when he said, 'she could be working with Sam'? I wondered.

"Sam and Caine are brothers. Well, twins actually. They hate each other with a true passion. Caine wants to take over and make everyone under his rule while Sam just wants peace with everyone. Caine will never give up and Sam is a smart guy. He knows that he can't back down." Jack said.

"So you're on Caine's side?" I asked quietly.

"I was forced too. It was either that or I die," Jack gulped.

"Do you have any powers?" I asked. "And what about Caine and Diana?"

"We all do. Diana can read people by touching their hands. She can tell how powerful their power is like when she told you that you were a six bar. Caine and Sam were both the most powerful bar there was, but now that you came along you beat them. Caine can move things with his mind and I have super strength. Didn't expect that, huh?" he smiled. I laughed.

"And what's the deal with Drake?" I asked.

"Drake," Jack said and almost trembled. "Drake doesn't have any powers. He only has that whip hand. Sam fried his arm off a few months back and then something we call; The Darkness gave Drake a replacement. Drake is sorta on his own side. He has to listen to Caine or else, but he hates doing that. He has anger management and is a psychopath. He can severely hurt someone or kill someone and not care the slightest bit. There is something seriously wrong with him." Jack said. I nodded as I took all this information in.

"Jack," I finally said. "You have super strength and are probably the smartest kid here, but yet you can't escape or is it because you don't' want too?" My question took him off guard. He didn't seem to know what to say.

"I _could_ escape, probably. I mean, it won't be easy, but I am sure I could do it. If Caine or Drake . . ." he shivered. "ever found me, I don't even want to think what they might do to me."

"You have the power of strength. Strength is a very powerful thing and if you keep on helping Caine, he's just gonna become more powerful and sooner or later something bad is gonna happen." I said quickly.

"I know," Jack sighed. "I just don't know what to do at the moment. What about you? What's your plan?"

"I don't know. I was thinking of staying here for a while until Caine trusts me and thinks I am loyal to him and whatever. Then I guess will run off and go to Perdido Beach and help Sam out, no matter what the consequences are. Sam used to be my best friend and Caine doesn't seem like the type of guy you want to hang around with." I said. Jack opened his mouth to response, but was cut off by a booming voice down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jack!" the voice called from down the hall. It echoed throughout the walls and we both knew who the voice was instantly. The voice got closer and closer and soon enough, Drake Merwin was only a few feet away. "Jack, Caine wants to see you imme—" Drake stopped when he saw us.

"What?" Jack asked nervously.

"Caine wants to see you," he repeated suspiciously. Drake's eyes never left mine as Jack walked away anxiously and tense. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," I said too quickly. He scowled and his black eyes glittered under the florescent lights.

"Whatever," he said. He still seemed to be searching my face for any guiltiness or clues that might give away what we were talking. He finally snapped out of his death stare toward me and blinked. "Caine wants me to start training you." My eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"What?" I asked.

"Caine wants me to prepare you, so when we go down to Perdido Beach to take down Sam; he wants you to be ready. Come on Lier, lets go." he said and started to walk away.

"I have a name," I hissed. "It's Alex."

"Whatever," he snapped. When he realized that I wasn't going to move, he grumbled in frustration. "Let's go. _Now_."

"Do I have too?" I whined.

"Yes," he barked. "Now come on. I already had to spend all morning with you and the faster we get this over with, the less I have to see of you." The words struck like a knife to the heart. I flinched, but he was too busy staring at me and it looked like he was looking deep into my heart and farther, penetrating me.

"Whatever, psychopath." I finally said and hurried past him before he could say anything. I exited the building and waited patiently in front of Coates.

"Show me what you can do," he ordered. I hesitated then raised my hands. I ordered the wind to pick up speed. I spun my hands and a small tornado appeared and the dirt and trees went wild. I moved my hands faster and faster until a ten foot tornado appeared and started to twirl around the front of Coates. The wind was so intense, that it almost lifted me off the ground, but then I lowered my hands and it stopped abruptly. Drake was quiet for a while. Finally, he spoke. "Now, what else can you do? I mean, you are a six bar, right?" he smirked.

"I have the power to create weather patterns and anything that has to do with the sky, I guess and . . . " I shrugged. I didn't know. I didn't really experiment with my powers much. I didn't really even know I had them until a few days ago.

"Ugh, you useless piece of shit. Diana said you were a six bar, but I am beginning to think she lied. A lier, like you. You can't do anything helpful. All you do is back sass everyone and think your better than everyone else. Well, guess what your not!" he roared. I raised my hands and used the power of the wind to send him flying through the air. I used all the strength I had and when he fell, he fell with such force that I am sure people from Perdido Beach could have heard it. He cursed and then jumped to his feet slowly. He walked toward me quickly and before I could react, his whip uncoiled itself from around his waist and struck me across the face. The pain was dreadful. I could feel the part where he had hit me on the cheek. It burned like crazy. My whole cheek felt like it was on fire. He struck again. Once on my arm, across my stomach and again and again.

"STOOOP!" I screeched. He stopped, but he didn't back away. The pain was horrendous, but the anger, the anger was what was building. I could feel it rising through my body. The blood was rushing quickly through my veins and my heart was pounding heavily against my chest. I raised my hands slowly and painfully, but something else happened. I felt a cool breeze swirl around me. It spun in a circle, faster and faster until I couldn't breathe. I could feel it swirling through my body and then, there were visions.

Visions flooding through my mind. Images of a young, terrified boy. It was like a movie clip in my mind, but they just kept going and going. There seemed to be no end. I screamed in agony and dropped to my knees. The pain was so powerful, so overwhelming; I have never experienced something so awful in my life. The images began with two parents arguing and then the father started to get violent. He was smacking, hitting the mother and the mother was crying. The frightened, little boy was watching with frightened eyes. Then the images went to pictures of the father and the little boy alone in the house and the father hitting the little boy constantly. The images kept going and going and they were all similar. The little boy getting beat by his father continuously. The little boy was crying and the beatings left bruises, cuts and scars. Finally, the visions stopped.

"Aaaahhhh!" I screamed in pain. The pain . . . it was awful. The visions, I realized were of Drake's childhood and his parents. His parents that kept fighting and Drake's dad. Drake was afraid of him.

"What happened? What did you see?" he demanded. My head was down and my long blonde hair covered my face. I could feel the wet tears in my eyes. I looked up and saw Drake's face angry with rage. I could faintly make out a long scar along his cheek. I got up slowly and walked toward him until his face was inches from mine. He raised his tentacle, but when he saw the pain in my eyes, he relaxed it at his side. I took my hand and softly traced the scar on his cheek. I felt a tear slowly roll down my cheek and onto the ground.

"I—I am so sorry," I whispered. I turned and ran back inside.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, sleep never came. I ended up staring at the dark ceiling all night long. At the crack of dawn, I showered and changed into some clean clothes. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw dark circles under my eyes. I left my room shortly after and walked slowly toward the dining hall where there was food. I heard loud voices from inside, so I put my ear to the door and listened carefully.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Caine demanded.

"I told you! I'm not really sure. All I know is that one second she was herself and then the next, she wasn't. She was screaming in pain and her mind seemed to be somewhere else. I think she saw images of m-m-my childhood." Drake stuttered. I heard footsteps running down the hall and someone knocked into my shoulder, hard and kept on going. I smashed into the wooden door and I heard silence in the other room. Busted. The door opened and I walked in slowly and cautiously.

"We were just discussing last night," Caine smirked. "But it seems your already know." I didn't say anything. "So, tell me. What exactly did you see when you from you know, Drake's childhood?" I turned toward Drake who was as pale as a ghost. All the anger had drained from his face and was replaced with worry.

"I don't remember," I lied. Caine turned toward Drake and saw how Drake was now looking paler and paler by the second.

"Alex, ignore him. Don't worry about Drake. He won't lay a hand on you because if he does . . . he will be dealing with me." Caine threatened. I didn't know what to do. I really wished Diana or Jack were here, but they weren't. It was just the three of us. If I didn't tell Caine, he would kill me. If I did tell Caine, Drake would kill me. Either way, I lost.

"I-I saw Drake's childhood," I began choosing my words carefully. "I saw lots of images of how he was as a child. You know, how he acted and all. There were so many images and they were moving so fast that I didn't get to see what was going on in most of them. The pain was so overwhelming that I wasn't focusing on the images. " I swallowed. "It was like I was in his head. I think I can read a person's life story if I ever get mad enough at a person. It has never happened before, but I have never been so mad at someone before." I said sticking to the truth the best I could. There was a long silence.

"How did Drake act as a child?" Caine wondered. The question took me off guard and he saw that in my expression.

"Well," I started, not looking at Drake's glare. "He was a very mysterious child. He didn't get into trouble much until about the age of 10, but before that he was pretty much normal." I gulped.

"Very well, then." Caine said statified. "You may go." I nodded and left without another word. I didn't know if Caine bought it, but it looked like he did. If I ever told Caine the real truth about Drake, not only would Drake kill me, but I would be releasing his secret past that no one knew about. If Caine and Diana knew, I don't know if Drake would be mocked or humiliated; probably both.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked back to my room and stayed there for most of the day and then around 5, I got something to eat. I waited outside of Coates around 6, which was the time my so called training started. After about fifteen minutes, I decided that Caine or Drake weren't coming, so I started back inside. A little kid around 6 years old was wobbling outside. He had dried blood on his face and his bare, little arms were scratched and scarred. He was about to fall right over, but I grabbed him before he did.

"Oh my . . ." I began when I saw the deep cuts on his face. I ran my fingers over them and he winched. "Who did this to you?" The little boy didn't say anything. Instead he looked into my eyes, deciding whether he should trust me or not. "It's ok. I won't hurt you." I promised. I hugged him tightly and listened to the soft sobs coming from him.

"Drake," the little boy finally said. My body went numb and I froze.

"W-What?" I stammered. I wasn't sure if I heard him right.

"Drake," the little boy whispered again. I stared into his large brown eyes that were wet with tears. I picked him up and began to walk up the steps. I literally walked right into Jack on the way.

"Oh, Jack I am so glad I caught you. Could you do me a huge favor?" I asked quickly.

"Of course, but what . . ." he began. He opened his arms up as I placed the little boy in his arms.

"Drake," the little boy mumbled. I saw Jack's eyes widened and he looked at me for an explanation.

"Did he do this to them?" Jack asked.

"Them?" I asked. Jack tilted his head behind him and I saw about five other kids wobbling around the hall. They all seemed to be badly injured, but the little boy I found seemed to be in the worse shape.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "I'll be right back." I ran down the hall, bumping into others on the way. I barged into Caine's office without even knocking. Caine was alone and had his head hunched over something I couldn't see. When he heard the door slam open, his head snapped up.

"Caine, I have had enough. If-If you're gonna let Drake torture, I mean murder little kids, then you can forget it, because I'm leaving." I promised. Caine didn't say anything. "Did you see what he did?" I rasped.

"Yes," he answered.

"Then why the hell did you let him—"

"I didn't let him and I certainly didn't tell him too. Drake is difficult. He doesn't listen to me unless it's a threat because he knows he can't defeat me even with that thing on his arm he calls a whip," he said dryly.

"So you're not gonna do anything?" I cried.

"What am I gonna do?" Caine demanded.

"I don't know, maybe threaten to kill him. Threaten to hurt him. Maybe his problem is that he's never felt pain before. Maybe he doesn't know what pain feels like because he's always the one causing it," I growled. Caine laughed weakly.

"I have known Drake for a long time and he has encountered pain before. Recently, actually. Don't you know how he got that whip of his? He wasn't born with it. A few months back, Sam burned his arm off and do you know what a fifth degree burn feels like? He was screaming and crying his head off when we cut his arm off. He even peed himself." Caine laughed at the memory.

"Look, all I'm asking is for you to do something. You are the boss, right? You tell people to do things, right? Well, you better start doing something about him or you'll wake up one morning and I won't be here anymore. Let's leave it at that," I vowed.

"Is that a threat?" Caine growled.

"No," I snapped. "It's a promise." Caine's expression darkened. He was about to raise his hands when the door opened and in came Drake. His whip hung lazily at his side and his eyes were black with hunger. I stared at him with cold, hatred eyes. He turned toward me and held my glare. I acted before I even thought it through, but I moved quickly toward Drake. I slammed my body into his with all the strength I had and pinned him up against the wall. My face was so close to his that I could hear him breathing.

"Cut the crap," I hissed. "And I promise you that if I ever see another child hurt because of you, I will send you flying through the air so fast that you won't even have time to blink before your half way to China." Drake's lips pulled back over his teeth and then a low growl started to form in his chest.

"And I swear that if you ever say anything about my past ever again, I will cut you into pieces so quickly that you won't even have time to breath before your gone," he whispered so Caine wouldn't hear.

"Enough!" Caine roared. "I have had it. Drake, you better get a grip on yourself man, before I take you out myself. Leave. Her. Alone," he yelled. Drake's face turned stoned white.

"Just to make sure we understand ourselves, you two are going to Perdido Beach tonight to get me back Bug," Caine commanded. It wasn't a question. It was an order. I sighed. I wasn't sure if I was happy for Caine backing me up or angry at him for making me spend the next few days with the psychopath.

"Whatever," I said and without another word, I stormed out.


	6. Chapter 6

I walked swiftly down the hall and turned the corner. Jack was still in the same spot where I had last seen him, except he wasn't carrying the little toddler in his arms.

"How'd it go?" he asked. I didn't say anything, but I could tell he knew something was wrong. "I got someone to watch over the little ones. They're all gonna be okay." he promised.

"I'm going to Perdido Beach tonight," I finally said. He looked at me, puzzled. "Caine wants us to go get Bug back. Apparently, Bug hasn't returned from his last trip to Perdido Beach and Caine is getting worried that Sam is holding him hostage."

"What do you mean _us_?" Jack wondered.

"Drake and I," I grumbled. Jack's jaw dropped. "Yeah, well I better start getting ready. Wish me luck." I said and walked into my room. I started packing up some clothes and a few other things I might need. I didn't know how long this trip would take and I had to be prepared. I slung my backpack over my right shoulder and ran outside where Caine, Diana, Jack and Drake were waiting.

"Ok guys, I'm trusting you two. There will be no arguing, fighting, hitting, nothing. If there is so much as a scratch on her, Drake you will be dealing with me." Caine threatened.

"What about her?" Drake spat.

"She'll be fine. Its you I'm worried about," Caine said dully. Drake rolled his eyes. I headed toward the car that was running and I turned around just in time to see Jack staring nervously. He met my eyes and waved slightly.

"Good luck," he mouthed. I smiled and then hopped into the car with Drake behind the wheel.

"Don't come back until you get me Bug!" Caine yelled. A few minutes passed and we were on the highway. It was already almost nine o'clock.

"How long is Perdido Beach from Coates?" I asked.

"Two hours," Drake said. I nodded. I yawned softly and then realized how weary I was. My eyelids started to feel real heavy. I hadn't slept well since I arrived at Coates. I got the most of 5 hours just about every night, but for some reason I felt real tired today. My vision was going blurry and the last thing I saw was bright lights before I fell asleep . . . .

I awoke to a cursing Drake and a dark sky. The stars seemed to light up the whole sky and without them, the night would be dull.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I looked outside and didn't realize where we were. I didn't know the area that well, but I was almost a hundred percent sure that this wasn't Perdido Beach. "Don't tell me we're lost."

"We're not lost," Drake snapped, but he didn't sound too sure of himself. "We just aren't there yet."

"How long was I asleep?" I wondered. He didn't say anything for a while and then finally he spoke.

"About three hours," he whispered. A brief smile formed on the corner of my lips. He looked over at me and frowned.

"So, we left about three hours ago and it only takes two hours to get there at the most. Your telling me we're NOT lost, right?" I laughed, enjoying the moment. He ignored me. A few minutes later, he gunned the engine and climbed out.

"Get out," he demanded. I looked at him, perplexed. "We have to walk from here. I think I saw the town up ahead. We're all out of gas."

"What?" I gasped. "We're walking? I'm tired and sore. I don't wanna walk," I whined.

"You just slept for three hours. How could you be tired? I'm the one who should be tired. My eyes have been staring at nothing for the past three hours. How do you think I feel? Now, come on." he said impatiently. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I stumbled through the night. After about 5 minutes, I couldn't take it any longer.

"Stop," I ordered. "I—I need to rest. Just for a second." I sat down on the dirty ground and laid my head on the road. It wasn't comfortable, but it was so much better than walking.

"We can't waste time," Drake sneered. "We need to keep moving." I ignored him. He couldn't make me move. I wouldn't go. He could whip the life out of me and I wouldn't care. I was tired and I was done. He would probably just go on without me and leave me here to die. I didn't care, but he didn't do any of those things. I felt the ground underneath me disappear and I was lifted off the ground. He threw me over his shoulder and continued down the road. He wasn't breathing heavy and he didn't shift his weight at all. He lifted me with ease; like I weighted nothing.

"Stooop!" I yelled. "You can't carry me!" I demanded.

"I'm not wasting anymore time," he hissed.

"Since when do you care about me? Why didn't you just leave me there to die?" I asked.

"I don't care about you," he said quickly. "Caine will be pissed if I come back with Bug and not you. Then I'll be the one who gets in trouble. Not that I care, but I just don't feel like dealing with Caine's crap."

"You're gonna get tired sooner or later and then you'll have to put me down," I said.

"I highly doubt that," he said confidently. A few minutes later, we saw light up ahead. Drake dropped me and I hit the ground, hard.

"Owwch," I moaned.

I jumped to my feet and followed him into town. A few minutes later, we were in Perdido Beach. Drake walked into the town and hid behind a building.

"So what's the plan now, Genius?" I snapped. He stared at me, his eyes glittering in the darkness.

"We can't make our move until morning," he began. "So, I guess we should hide somewhere until then."

"Why do we have to wait until morning?" I asked. "The best time to get Bug back is now; when everyone's asleep." This seemed to make him really mad.

"You're so fuckin' retarded," he roared. "Bug is barely visible in the day, so how the fuck are we supposed to find him at night if we can hardly see him in the daytime? We would have better luck in the morning when there's light."

"I'm retarded?" I screeched. "How the hell am I supposed to know that? No one fuckin' tells me anything around here. You're the idiot with no car, no idea with direction and now no plan." His face was flushed with anger. His raised his whip and was about to thrash me when we both heard a voice yelling from close by.


	7. Chapter 7

My heart started beating heavily against my chest. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins and my breathing started to pick up.

"We need to move. _Now_," Drake hissed. He grabbed my arm and we sprinted down the narrow alley. We stopped running and turned around. A shadow of a person seemed to be searching the alley. I held my breath and shut my eyes. This could be the end for us. We had come all this way and now we were gonna be defeated. I opened my eyes and looked down the alley. The figure was still there and he or she seemed to be holding something. I looked closely. A machine gun? No way. "Edilio." Drake mumbled. The figure stopped dead in his tracks and then slowly he turned and left. I heard his light footsteps quickly disappear down the street.

"That was close," I muttered.

"You got that right," Drake agreed.

"Now what?" I asked.

"We should find some place to stay until the morning," Drake ordered. I nodded. We walked down a dark street and found a dark house on the corner. It didn't look like anyone was living there, so we opened up the front door and peered inside.

"I'll go check it out," Drake suggested. He disappeared down the hall and I heard him go upstairs. He came back a few minutes later and shook his head. "The house is empty."

"Good," I said and walked slowly into the kitchen. I examined the house and took in its modern look. It was average size and the only light coming in was from the window. "Do the lights work?"

"I'm sure they do, but we can't draw attention. If someone sees this house lit up, they'll come and inspect it." he said.

"Do you really think Sam knows where everyone is living? He could just assume this house belongs to some kids and simply ignore it," I tried.

"We can't risk that," Drake snapped. I groaned and threw my hands up in the air in defeat. I was tired, I was sore and I was beyond done with Drake and his crap. I walked over into the living room and laid down on the couch. I was surprised by how comfortable it was. It was definitely softer than the Coates beds. I drew a blanket over myself and curled up in a ball. The last thing I saw were Drake's cold, black eyes staring at me before I fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

I was walking down an a banded street. The air was cool, the moon was out and there didn't seem to be anyone in sight. I looked straight ahead and saw a dark, silhouette figure walking slowly toward me. My heart started to beat heavily against my chest and I felt sweat drip from my forehead. I froze. I didn't know what to do or where to run, so I just stood still like a statue hoping it wouldn't notice me. A few minutes later, the figure was only inches from me. I held my breath. The figure looked around and then his deep blue eyes widened. He raised his palms and aimed brilliant green light at me. I felt like I was on fire. My skins started to bubble and then slowly it turned to black ashes. I fell to my knees and yelped and screamed in pain. I then started to shake uncontrollably. I didn't know what was going on or what was happening. I heard someone yelling my name and I awoke with a start.

"Alex, what the hell is going on?" Drake demanded. I blinked and realized I had been dreaming. I touched my forehead and it was dripping with sweat. I jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. I puked all over the sink and then gripped my hollow stomach. I felt much better, but I was exhausted.

"It was just a dream," I whispered to myself. "Just a dream."

"What just happened?" Drake barked. I turned toward him and told him about my dream. His eyes widened when I was finished.

"What?" I asked. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. I pushed past him and ran up the stairs. I searched the rooms for something to wear and finally found something that looked my size. A teenager must have lived here because the clothes fit me well. I brushed my teeth four times and washed my face with cold water.

"It's almost morning," Drake yelled. "Let's go!" I ran down the stairs feeling much better than before.

"I'm ready," I growled. He gave me a dirty look and I followed him outside. The sky was blue and the sun was beginning to rise. The streets were deserted and quiet. We carefully made our way toward the plaza. Drake pushed me into an alley and I slammed into the brick wall. "Owww."

"Shhh," he hissed. I looked around the corner and saw a boy walking in the middle of the street by himself. "That's Quinn. He's a friend of Sam's."

"So?" I asked.

"So?" he mocked. "If he catches us, he'll take us to Sam and we don't want that."

"Then what do we do?" I asked. He thought it over.

"Well he doesn't know who you are, so maybe you could find out where Bug is." he advised.

"NO," I snapped.

"You have too. I can't go out there. Now _go_," he said and pushed me hard. I stumbled into the middle of the street and Quinn froze.

"Where did you come from?" Quinn asked.

"I—I was just walking through town," I lied smoothly.

"Yea, but where did you come from?" he repeated.

"I, uh live up north by Coates Academy." I stuttered.

"Oh ok," Quinn said.

"Hey, I was just wondering. Do you know anybody named Bug?" I asked. Quinn's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yea I do. Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"He's a friend of mine and I just needed to talk to him," I said.

"Ok you can talk to him, but first I have to take you to Sam." Quinn said reaching for me.

"NO!" I yelled. Quinn looked at me, perplexed. "I mean, I can't go to Sam. I just need to speak to Bug and I will leave. I promise." Quinn grabbed my arm, tightly and pulled me along.

"It will only take a few minutes," he promised. I screamed and begged, but he ignored me. I turned back and saw Drake grinning widely.

"I hate you," I hissed. We stopped in front of a church that looked like it had been hit by hurricane. I heard voice from inside. Quinn dragged me inside and everybody turned toward us.

"Where's Sam?" Quinn wondered. A girl with blonde hair who was standing in front of the crowd answered.

"He's on his way," the girl said. Quinn nodded and tightened his grip. Everyone's glare seemed to be on me. All of a sudden, I heard a loud _snap_ followed by a loud scream. Everyone turned toward the entrance of the church and there stood Drake Merwin.

"I didn't come here to fight. All I want is the girl and I'll leave," he hissed.

"G—Get out of h—here," the blonde girl said. Her voice shook along with her hands. Drake seemed to be a threat to her. In fact, everyone seemed scared of him.

"No," Quinn snapped. Drake took a few steps forward and was just inches from Quinn's face. He wrapped his tentacle around his throat and squeezed.

"Listen to me. I'm giving you a change to live here. Don't screw it up," Drake growled. Quinn's eyes were full of fear and the color was draining from his face. Drake squeezed harder.

"STOP!" I yelled. "You're gonna kill him." Drake turned his head toward me and grinned. He squeezed again and released. Quinn fell to the floor, unconscious and Drake grabbed my arm and ran. We ran out of the church and then sprinted down the road. A kid smaller than me was standing in the middle of the street. He looked tired and worn out.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Bug," Drake said proudly.

"You found him?" I asked shocked.

"Hell yea. While you were being held prisoner," he laughed darkly. I gave him a dirty look and approached the kid named Bug.

"We need to get out of here," Bug said quickly.

"I know," Drake said irritated.

"We have no car," I added. Drake looked around the town and then focused on the ocean.

"The marina," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

We dashed toward the marina and quickly scanned all the boats. There weren't many to choose from and we needed something fast.

"Over here," Bug called. We followed his voice to a small boat. It looked like it was brand new, but it didn't look very fast.

"This little thing?" I asked. Drake jumped into the boat and Bug followed quickly behind.

"It may look small, but this thing is fast." Drake said.

"They're gaining on us," Bug reported. I quickly hopped into the boat and Drake took the wheel. He backed up and sped toward the Power Plant. I looked back and saw Sam, Quinn and the blonde girl in another boat speeding toward us.

"Ummm they're . . ." I began.

"I KNOW!" Drake shouted. Our boat was still faster, but they were on our tail.

"We need a plan," Bug suggested.

"No kidding," Drake snapped.

"Any ideas smartass?" I snapped. Drake's eyes lid up and his mouth turned into an evil grin. I knew that whatever he was thinking it was a bad idea. He swerved the boat around making little ripples in the water. He started to head back toward the marina and then turned the boat again. I had no idea what he was doing until I saw Sam's face turn into complete horror.

"Don't do this," Bug warned.

"You're gonna kill them," I shrieked. He just ignored us and laughed. I stood up and pushed him out of the way. I took the wheel and turned it the best I could, but I didn't get very far because Drake turned the wheel back behind Sam's boat. "Let me steer!"

"NO! Get out of the way!" Drake yelled. We both fought over the wheel not paying attention to what was in front of us.

"Look out!" Bug cried. I looked up just in time to see Sam's boat speed away and we hit the barrier full on. The boat cracked in half and we went under. The water was ice cold and dark. I felt my arms and legs go num. All of a sudden, I heard a little voice in the back of my mind. It was yelling at me. _Swim. Swim. For Goodness sake honey, you're a swimmer. Don't give up. It only gets easier. _It was my mom's voice and I kicked my legs as fast as they would go and I finally broke the surface. I blinked a few times and from a distance I saw Sam's eyes. They met mine and his jaw dropped. The ocean water getting rough and I needed to get to land before I passed out. I saw Drake above water, but I didn't see Bug.

"Where's Bug?" I asked.

"Don't worry about him," he sneered. I started to swim toward land. I swam faster and faster until I was out of breath and couldn't swim anymore. I felt my lungs tighten and my heart stop beating and I knew that this was the end for me.


	10. Chapter 10

I was terrified to open my eyes in fear that I would see the worst. I tried to jump to my feet, but my legs were so tired. As I slowly sat up I felt a cold lap of water and then an intense pain coming from my legs. If this was heaven why was I still in pain? I'm supposed to be healed and happy, but right then I knew I wasn't in heaven. I was still in hell. I looked over to my right and saw Bug lying on his back in the sand.

"Bug?" I whispered. "Bug?" I didn't dare to move. My legs were too sore and I felt like if I moved, they would crack. He didn't stir an inch. I slowly rose to my feet and almost fell over because my legs felt like jello.

"We need to keep moving," a voice reckoned. I turned and Drake was standing a few feet away. He didn't look injured or weary. In fact, he looked better than before.

"How—? Why did—? Bug—?" I stuttered.

"I'll explain later, but right now we have to get going." Drake commanded. He walked over to Bug and whipped him on his back. I heard the thrash and I cringed. I knew how that pain felt. Bug rolled over onto his side, but did not wake up. Drake sighed impatiently. He raised his whip and I scurried over and blocked his aim.

"Let me wake him up," I offered.

"Quickly," he snapped. I shook Bug's shoulder, but he didn't move. I called his name, but that had no effect. I started to get annoyed as well, so I through my hands in the air and started to make it rain. Heavy rain poured from the sky and Bug was soaked within seconds. I loved being Zeus' "daughter" and controlling where and when it rained.

"What the hell?" Bug yelled.

"Impressive," Drake mused. "It only took you about an hour too." Bug jumped to his feet and we started to make our way back to Coates. We traveled all day and most of the night. It had to be a little after midnight before we returned. The first thing I did was take a long, hot shower. I slept really well that night and was full of energy in the morning. I heard a light knock on the door and ran toward it. I opened it up and Jack was smiling brightly.

"You ready to leave hell?"


	11. Chapter 11

I smiled broadly. Jack always made me smile and I loved being with me. He was like my little brother I wish I had. I followed him quickly down the stairs and through the entrance doors. The sun was high in the sky and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. We sat down on the ground and Jack pulled out a bunch of papers.

"I have everything you need right in here," he said and held up a folder. "I have been working on it since you were away." I took the blue folder from him and opened it.

"Oh my . . ." I began.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Jack, this is amazing. You didn't have to do _all_ this for me." I said.

"It's the least I could do," he muttered.

"What do you mean? I've haven't done anything for you," I said ashamed.

"You've been my friend and that's the best thing anyone's every given me," he said proudly. I felt gratifying for the first time in months.

"Awww, Jack." I said and leaned over and hugged him tightly. "If there is ever anything you need, I want you to know that I will always be here for you." I saw Jack blush when I pulled away and smiled. He started to explain to me how to get to Perdido Beach on my own and details of my journey. He gave me a few maps and survival gear I might need. I heard heavy footsteps from close by that made me nearly jump out of my skin. We both looked up and saw a girl stumbling toward us. She groaned in pain and started to topple over. I jumped to my feet and caught her just in time.

"Hungry," she moaned.

"We need to get her some food," I suggested.

"But where are we gonna bring her? We can't take her to Caine," Jack said. "Who knows what that psycho will do to her."

"I know, so let's bring her to my room for right now. We will discuss later how we're gonna break it to Caine because sooner or later he's gonna find out." The three of us climbed the stairs and then we walked quietly past Caine's office. The girl sneezed right when we were passing the dining hall.

"Shit," I mumbled.

"Who's that?" Caine yelled. I could see him through the crack of the door staring at the new girl, but I didn't dare speak.

"What do we do?" Jack whispered.

"I'm not gonna repeat myself," Caine growled. The doors flew open and the three of us walked in slowly. Jack and I tried to hide the girl behind us, but it was too late. "Name." Caine ordered. The girl looked up and met Caine's eyes. She had short, curly hair and looked like the same age as me, but she was a little bigger than I was. I didn't think that was possible considering the fact that everyone was skinny in the FAYZ.

"T—Te—Tes," the girl stuttered. She looked frightened by Caine and then she looked over at Drake and gulped out loud. Caine sighed impatiently.

"Diana read her," he ordered. She sighed and then crossed the room and reached for the girl's hand. The girl didn't flinch, but she stared at Diana. Diana dropped her hand and turned toward Caine.

"Three," she said at last.

"What's your power?" Caine asked. The girl knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "You heard me. What's your power?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"I'm not playing games. Tell me your goddamn power," Caine hissed. The girl didn't say anything. "Jesus Christ, tell me your power before I really loose it."

"Too late for that," I mumbled. Jack snickered.

"I really don't know," the girl admitted. Caine reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Diana gasped.

"Caine don't," she warned. I looked over at Drake who didn't look shocked at all. Jack's jaw was slightly open and the girl had tears in her eyes.

"Please. All I want is some food," she cried. He aimed the gun at her chest and put his finger on the trigger.

"You have one last chance to tell what your power is. I told you. I don't play games," he snarled. The girl was too choked up to speak and burst into tears. I ran in front of her and blocked Caine's aim, so now the trigger was pointing at my chest.

"You have three seconds to get out of my way," Caine threatened.

"NO," I snapped.

"One . . ." he began.

"Alex don't," Jack pleaded.

"I'll do it. I swear," Caine yelled. I gulped, but stared straight into Caine's deathly black eyes. "Two . . ."

"Caine, please." Diana yelled. I looked over at Drake who seemed to be paying attention now about what was going on. Jack covered his eyes. Diana screamed.

"Three," Caine said and pulled the trigger.


	12. Chapter 12

I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to emerge. Instead, I felt something knock the breath out of me. It sent me flying and I collapsed against the wall. I opened my eyes and Drake was inches away from my face. He was lying on top of me and his expression was unreadable. I looked around the room and everyone was just as shocked as I was; Caine especially. The room was dead silent. Caine had his jaw half open and seemed to be thinking hard. He got up and walked out of the room; never taking his eyes off Drake. Diana and Jack followed. Drake jumped to his feet and headed toward the door. I got up as hastily as I could and brushed dust off my jeans. I walked hastily toward Drake and blocked his way out.

"You saved my life," I whispered.

"Whatever," he scoffed and stormed out of the room. I walked over to the terrified girl who was still in astonishment. She was crouched on the ground, trembling.

"I was scared," she began. "I was scared to tell him my power. I didn't know what he was gonna do to me." I squatted down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand," I said soothingly.

"Y—You almost got killed because of me," she murmured.

"No, it wasn't your fault. Caine is a psycho freak." I spat.

"I can communicate with animals," she muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"My power is that I can communicate through animals. I know what they're saying and they can understand me. It may sound lame, but it's actually quite neat," she smiled.

"You'll have to show me sometime. How about after you eat?" I smiled back.

"Thank you," she said. I got up and she followed me out of the dining hall. We went downstairs into the kitchen and looked for something to eat.

"The food supply is running low, so we all have to be careful not to eat too—" I began and turned around. Tess was on the filthy floor stuffing anything she could find in her mouth. We didn't have much food left, but this poor girl didn't look like she had eaten in days. I carefully stepped over her and headed toward the door. I kicked it open and headed outside. I was about to open up the entrance doors when I heard voices arguing outside. I leaned my ear against the door and listened.

"What are we gonna do with her?" Diana asked.

"I don't know, but if she does have mutant powers and she isn't telling us . . . she is _so_ done." Caine growled.

"She is a three bar, so she does have some type of power." Diana added.

"You can have a mutant power and not know what it is," Drake sneered.

"How would you know? You're not a mutant. You just have that stupid tentacle that's worthless," Diana barked. I heard a loud _snap_ and Diana scream.

"Knock it off," Caine yelled. "We'll let her stay here until we figure out her power. If she doesn't discover it soon, she's long gone. Now, we have a more important topic to discuss. It's about your girlfriend Drake." I heard Drake thrash his whip angrily. I gulped loudly and hurried up the steps. I knocked on Jack's door and he opened it a few seconds later.

"It's time. I need to get the hell out of here," I confirmed.


	13. Chapter 13

The next two weeks Jack and I prepared for my departure. We worked all day long and late at night making sure everything was perfect. I had everything I needed packed and ready to go including food, clothing, survival gear and several maps. I did my best to avoid Caine and Drake at all cost. I became really good friends with Tess over the past two weeks and I was really gonna miss her. I didn't tell her that I was leaving because I didn't know if she would keep my secret or not. On my last day at Coates, I went to Jack's room to say my final goodbye.

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" I asked.

"I can't," he admitted.

"Once Caine finds out that I'm gone, he's gonna turn to you. He's gonna threaten you and beat you until you tell him where I am." I muttered.

"And I swear not to tell," Jack promised.

"But Jack," I whined. "Caine's gonna hurt you and it's gonna be all my fault."

"_Your _fault? If anything it's my own. I'm just too cowardly to go to Perdido Beach with you. I'm afraid Caine or Drake will find me and then _really_ hurt me," he quivered. My eyes filled with tears and I pulled Jack into a tight hug.

"Take care of yourself," I whispered. I pulled away and tried to smile.

"We'll see each other again soon. You'll know where I'll be," he smiled. I backed slowly toward the door and shut it quietly behind me. I turned around and bumped into Drake's stone hard chest. He was almost a head taller than me and was looking down at me like I was a little infant about to get yelled at.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are," he began.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

"You think you're hot shit don't you? Barking out orders like you run this place. Telling people what to do and how to do it," he continued coldly.

"Caine put you up to this, didn't he?" I asked.

"Well guess what? You better start listening to the people in charge around here or there are gonna be some serious consequences," he threatened.

"The people in charge?" I laughed. "This isn't a damn school, Drake. I can do whatever the hell I want because the person in charge here isn't as powerful as he thinks he is. Caine is a four bar and what am I?" I asked. Drake's lips pulled back into a snarl.

"I swear if I see you act out ever again, I will whip the life out of you." Drake vowed. I groaned in frustration and stormed into my room. I slammed the door behind me and started to change into clean clothes. I zipped up my backpack and the other two bags. I threw them in the corner of my room and prepared for what laid ahead.


	14. Chapter 14

It was nearly midnight when I was ready to make my move. I slung the two duffle bags and my backpack over my shoulder and looked around my room for the last time. I had a little voice in the back of my mind telling me that this was a mistake; that I should stay. I hesitated and then decided this was something I really wanted to do. I quietly walked down the hall, passing everyone's room on the way. Caine, Diana, Tess, Bug, Drake . . . Jack. I felt a sudden urge to burst into Jack's room and tell him goodbye again, but I knew that could end badly. I could easily wake someone up and then this whole thing would be over. I was outside within seconds and turned to look at the school.

"I'm gonna miss this," I whispered. I turned my back on the school and began my journey. I pulled out the first map which was a map of my hometown. I was gonna stop back at my house and get everything I could and bring it back to Perdido Beach. I traveled on foot for about three hours until finally I came to my street. It was eerie and quiet. I walked up to the front door and it was unlocked. I stepped into the foyer and looked up. There was a bunch of spider webs on the ceiling and the floor was full of dust. The place looked like no one had been here in years. I ran up to my room and grabbed all my clothes, shoes and anything else I could find that was valuable or useful. I was exhausted, but I had no desire sleeping in an empty house alone.

I closed the front door behind me and continued on my way. I lost track of time, but it had to be about dawn when I arrived at Perdido Beach. I didn't know how I did it, but I did and was finally here. I was beyond exhausted and ready to pass out any second. My vision was getting blurry and my eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. I looked straight ahead and saw someone walking toward me. Then, they started to run and that was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

"What are we gonna do with her?" a boy's voice asked.

"We need to bring her to Sam," a girl's voice demanded.

"I agree. It's the best thing to do," another boy agreed.

"But she works with the enemy. This is just something else Sam has to worry about," the first boy said.

"What are you insisting on, Quinn? That we should kill her?" the second boy asked.

"No," Quinn said quickly. "I—I don't know." I felt something sharp stab me in my left side. I bit down on my tongue to keep me from screaming. I fell back to sleep and awoke later in a dark room. I sat up and looked around. I had no idea where I was, but I climbed to my feet and walked out the door. I was in a house alone. I went outside and started to walk the streets of Perdido Beach. I stared down at the road as I walked; debating what I was to do next. I felt something hard run into me and I stepped back and looked up. Sam Temple was only a few feet away from me; staring. His expression was unreadable. I didn't know whether he was angry, happy, disappointed, or upset with me.

"Sam," I whispered. His mouth turned into a wide grin and he hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around him. "I've missed you."

"Its been a long time," he agreed.

"What the hell are you doing?" a girl screamed from behind me. I turned around and saw the blonde girl from the church only a few feet away. She stormed toward us and slapped me across the face.

"What are you doing?" Sam yelled.

"What the hell are you doing hugging the enemy?" she demanded.

"The enemy?" Sam asked confused.

"This girl is working for Caine and Drake. She's a spy for them," the girl insisted.

"Astrid . . ." Sam began.

"No you listen to me, Sam. I know you're like the "leader" of this town, but you cannot be helping the enemy." Astrid screeched.

"Astrid, calm down." Sam yelled. "Alex and I go way back. We used to be best friends."

"People change!" she yelled.

"Let her tell speak for herself," Sam decided. "Alex, why are you here?" I told them. I told them everything since the day I arrived at Coates. I also told them there was gonna be a war in a few days and we have to be prepared.

"Why did you switch sides?" Astrid demanded.

"Like you said . . . . people change," I snapped.


	15. Chapter 15

Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. I suddenly felt dizzy again and almost toppled over if Sam hadn't caught me before I did.

"I need to lie down," I announced. I only slept for a few hours and it's been a hell of a day. Sam nodded and I followed him back the way I had came from. We entered the house that I had been sleeping in and climbed the stairs. I was using all the strength I had to keep myself from collapsing to the floor. I sat down on the edge of the bed and Sam took a seat next to me.

"Is this okay?" he asked. I took a quick look around the room and smiled weakly. It reminded me a little of my own room.

"It's perfect," I whispered. I felt my eyelids start to slowly close and finally I couldn't fight it anymore. The last thing I saw was Sam's face before I completely passed out.

The waves broke violently against the shore and the wind howled in the cold winter air. I listened as thunder rumbled from up above and watched a lightening bolt strike across the darkened sky. I shivered in my jacket as rain began to pour like buckets from the sky. I then felt something was wrong. I didn't know quite what, but something was off. I turned around and that's when I saw it. A faint figure walking slowly towards me. As the person drew near, I could only make out one thing. A red whip.

I awoke with a start, my heart beating so quickly that I thought it might burst out of my chest. I felt my face burning up and sweat slowly start to trickle down the side of my face. I quickly scanned the room, but there were no signs of movement anywhere. I saw all my bags in the corner of my room and I got up to retrieve them. I took a long cool shower and took my time getting dressed and blow drying my hair. When I was finished and there was nothing left to do, I left the house and made my way into town. There was a large crowd assembled in the middle of the plaza. I hurried over toward the crowd and appeared in the back. Sam and Astrid were up front trying to calm everyone down.

"You're lying," someone yelled.

"You just made that up," another screamed.

"Why should we listen to you?" a third screeched. The crowed began yelling again and that's when I thought Sam was really going to loose it.

"Because he's the leader of this town and you shall respect that," I yelled over everyone. Every pair of eyes turned toward me; even Sam's. The crowd remained silent as I pushed my way toward the front. I stood up a wooden bench, so I could see over all their heads.

There is going to be war in the next few days and we all must start getting prepared. I know what is coming and I will tell you this. It's not good." I started.

"Yeah of course you know. You're one of _them_," someone spat.

"You're a bloody lier," another yelled.

"Why should we trust you?" a third roared.

"ENOUGH!" I hollered. "Would you rather take a leap of faith and trust me or be slaughtered in the next few days by the two people you despise most." The crowd was dead silent and I stood proudly overlooking each and every one of them.

"I would rather be slaughtered," someone hissed. Everyone turned to look where the voice was coming from. He was a short kid with a pointy nose and face. He reminded me of a rat.

"Oh really?" I asked. "And why is that?"

"Because I refuse to listen to another retarded mutant who thinks they're better than us," the kid snapped.

"A mutant?" I asked.

"Yes, someone with abnormal powers." he replied.

"How do you know I have powers?" I asked smoothly.

"You just look like someone who would," he answered without thinking. He then realized how stupid that really sounded.

"Well it just so happens that I do have powers. Powers that could shred you to pieces," I barked. He laughed coldly.

"Oh right," he replied. "What are you a one bar? Two?" The crowd really seemed to be interested on what I was gonna say next.

"Actually no," I said slowly. "I'm a six bar."

:


	16. Chapter 16

Everyone froze in place, even the little rat. They didn't seem to know what to do or much of what to say. A few moments passed and finally the little brat opened up his big fat mouth again.

"If you're a six bar, then show us what you can do." he yelled.

"I prefer not," I replied. I didn't know why I said that, but I did and it was too late to take it back. I somehow felt like if I showed them, they would be afraid of me and then we would never be prepared in a few days. War was coming and each second, each hour of the day was more time we were wasting.

"Some six bar you are," he growled. I felt anger rush through my body like an electric shock. I felt sparks began to form in the palms on my hands. I threw my hands toward the kid and a large shock missed him by an inch. It was just like being shocked, except a 1000 times more painful. It left a black hole in the ground and everyone gasped.

"You better cut the crap or I swear I will take you down myself and I will promise you this. It will be _very_ painful," I snarled. The kid's face turned bright red and then all the color completely drained from it. He didn't say another word. I motioned toward Sam who nodded and climbed up on the bench next to me.

"Kids and teenagers of Perdido Beach. The next few days we are gonna start preparing for war. Whether it's tomorrow or the next day or even next week, we must be ready. Now I just need you all to listen to us and we will make this as easy as possible. First, I want to introduce you all to one of my best friends in the whole world. Miss Alexandra Finch. She will be in charge as well around here and you best all respect that. She means no harm to those who will simply obey. Now take it away, Miss Finch." I smiled and turned toward the crowd.

"I wanna first say that maybe we all started off on the wrong foot. Let's start over. I'm Alexandra Finch and I want to help train you all for battle. Mutant or not, you can always help." The crowed erupted into applause and I carefully explained the details for the next few days. I first separated the crowd into two. Mutants and humans. There were much more humans than there were mutants, but there was also a great amount of mutants that could easily take Caine and his crew down. The next few days, we developed a well organized plan as the mutants and humans prepared. The fifth day after I had arrived in Perdido Beach, I heard a gunshot far off in the north.

"It's time," I announced.


	17. Chapter 17

Everything was ready. The mutants were scattered all over town, the children were safe and the rest of the kids were in hiding except for the few that were brave enough to fight.

"I don't want you to fight," I heard someone say. I flipped around and came face to face with Sam.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't want you to fight," he repeated.

"Why not? I'm one of the most powerful fighters here," I complained.

"You are the most powerful fighter here, but it would make me feel better if I knew that you were safe." he explained.

"Sam I can't-" I started.

"I already lost you once. I can't loose you again," he whispered. I looked down at the ground and then looked up into his cerulean blue eyes.

"Okay," I replied. "I'll stay out of sight."

"Thank you," he said. He turned and took off down the street. He disappeared around the corner to join the rest of the kids at the school. I made my way toward the beach and walked along the water. I watched as large, dark clouds formed overhead with rain threatening to break free any second. The waves smashed violently against the shore and heavy mist filled the cool spring air.

"Well well well. Look who it is," an icy voice said from behind me. I flipped around and in the distance a dark silhouette figure was walking toward me. As it got closer, I gasped. My breath caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. A red whip came into view followed by a cold, nasty grimace.

"Drake," I breathed.

"You're a filthy, lying, dirty piece of shit," he growled. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. "You betrayed us. You betrayed us all."

"Betrayed?" I yelled.

"No matter how bad things gets, you don't want to be against it, do you? You want to be a part of it. Everything is just always about _you_," he snarled. I opened my mouth again to speak, but I just couldn't seem to find my voice.

"Caine trusted you. I trusted you. And now we're back for revenge," he hissed. His whip came down so fast that I didn't even see it until I felt my right cheek burn like fire. I spread open my hands, but Drake was too quick for me. He slashed me once, twice, three times across the left cheek and I dropped to my knees in agony. I just sat there with my hands covering my face until the pain was just too much for me.

"Aaaahhhh!" I screamed. I sent an electric current through Drake's chest that sent him flying a hundred yards down the beach. He cursed loudly as he got to his feet. Images of Drake's childhood began to flood through my brain as my anger began to build up side of me. I snapped back to reality just as he raised his whip, but this time I was too fast for him. I dodged it and sent a lightening bolt from the sky to where Drake was standing. It missed him only by an inch, so I sent another one which struck him across his good arm. He screamed in agony. I began to swirl the sand around and around until a large tornado formed between the two of us. I was about to send it flying when a red whip reached across the tornado and clasped tightly around my neck, leaving me without air. My eyes were wide with fear and small ragged gasped were escaping my throat. I could sense myself drifting away from my body and taking me to a peaceful place where there are no worries in the world. The last thing I remembered was staring into the eyes of a killer


	18. Chapter 18

As I drifted, I dreamed. Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up - as beautiful, as uplifting as she was. It was the sound of my mother's voice and I listened intently as she sang to me like she did when I was little. Her voice was soft and soothing just like an angels. It began to fade as I was brought back to the surface by something soft brushing against my lips. A kiss that was hard, but soft. Fiery but cool. A split second, but seemed like forever. My eyelids fluttered open and Drake was only inches away from my face looking down into my eyes. I looked up into his, which were a cerulean blue unlike the usual black.

"You saved my life," I whispered. "Again."

"I almost killed you," he corrected. "Again." I sat up slowly and felt everything in my body ache. Drake slowly rose from the ground and helped me too my feet.

"But you didn't," I murmured. He lifted my chin, our noses almost touching. I could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of my lip as he leaned down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he planted his hands softly on my face. We stayed like this for hours until we heard a gunshot and a little boy scream. "This needs to end."

"You're right," he agreed. I grabbed his hand and we jogged back into stared up and down the streets. They were quiet. Too quiet. All of a sudden, I heard the click of a pistol from behind us. "Duck!" Drake hissed. We both hit the ground within a second just as the bullet zoomed past our heads. We got to our feet and faced the direction in which it came from. A group of Edilio's soldiers stood about twenty feet away with their guns pointing at us.

"Step away from the girl," one of them yelled.

"No," I yelled. "Its okay. He won't hurt us." There eyes seemed to travel down to our hands that were intertwined with one another. Confusion flashed across each and every one of the soldier's faces.

"You have to the count of three to separate and then I'll shoot you both," another yelled. Drake took a step closer to me, protectively. I could feel his muscles tense. His body shielded mine from the bullet. I had to think fast because now I knew the soldier's wouldn't hesitate. I started swirling my free hand and began to form a large tornado. The wind from the tornado sent papers, garbage and debris flying everywhere. I shoved my palm forward and sent the tornado flying toward them, but most of them had all ready scattered by the time it reached them.

"We need to find Sam. He'll be with Caine," I announced. We took off down the road in which the soldier's had come from. The streets were empty and I felt as if I had gone in one big circle after about ten minutes. "Where are they?" I demanded.

"The church," Drake breathed. We ran there as fast as we could and there they both stood only ten feet away from each other. Caine's clothes were shredding and Sam had a deep gash running down the side of his right arm. They were both covered in dust and fresh blood that was dripping slowly down their arms, legs, and faces. We came into view just as Sam's began to raise his hands.

"Stop it," I yelled. "This needs to end."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked. "And why-what happened to you?" Sam already knew the answer as soon as met Drake's deadly eyes. I watched as anger flushed across Sam's face and he raised his hands toward Drake.

"Noooo," I yelled. Sam lowered his hands and gave me a puzzled look. Then his eyes traveled down to our locked hands. I looked over at Caine who was staring as well.

"Caine its over," Drake growled. "You lost."

"What the hell is going on?" Caine demanded. Caine and Sam looked equally perplexed, but I had no answer to their confusion. What was I supposed to tell them? Drake and I kissed? That we were sorta a thing now? I don't even know what we were now. All I knew was that people were dying all because of me.

"Caine its over," I repeated. "You're clearly outnumbered, so why don't you just get out of here?" I looked around and watched as the soldier's and mutants begin to surround Caine, Diana, Jack, Bug, and others who I didn't know the names of.

"I'll be back," Caine hissed. "And when I do, you'll all be sorry." He stormed on his heel and began making his way back to Coates Academy only to realize that Jack and Drake weren't following him. "Jack, Drake lets go."

"I'm not going," Jack muttered. Then more confidently, "I'm not going." Caine knew he would just be wasting his time by trying to convince Jack to come back to hell, so he let go.

"Drake we're going. Now," he barked. Drake looked from me and back to Caine. He didn't seem to know what quite to do. I watched Caine's deadly eyes bore into Drake's skull. Finally, I felt him let go of my hand say three words that I'd never thought he'd say in his entire life.

"I'm so sorry."

TO BE CONTINUED . . .


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